Two troopers injured in pursuit crash

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) - The car crash that stretched down Interstate 64 in Hampton started miles away--not as a traffic violation, but as a burglary in York County.

Before it was all over, three cars would be wrecked, four more damaged, two State Troopers would be injured and two men arrested.

Suspects Yaree Woods, 28, of Chesapeake, and Andre Shorts, 19, of Norfolk, are facing a list of charges. Both are being held at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.

Officials say it all started on Jenkins Court Wednesday afternoon in the Kiln Creek portion of York County. A neighbor called 9-1-1 when she saw two men breaking into a house. Police pulled over the suspect's vehicle--a car they say turned up stolen from Virginia Beach. But instead of stopping, police say the suspects sped away.

The chase weaved through traffic as state troopers tried to stop the suspects, when the chain reaction wreck shut down two lanes on the interstate.

One state trooper's car hit a tractor-trailer, wedging itself under the back end while crushing the front of the cruiser. A second trooper careened over the guardrail, destroying the front half of the car. State police said Troopers M. Lawton and J. Street suffered minor injuries and were taken to the hospital to get checked out. Lawton was released, Street was admitted for observation. Officials say she suffered a broken nose.

"That's why you see so many troopers here," said Virginia State Police Sergeant Michelle Cotten, "because they came from all over to see if they could assist in any way."

The suspect's vehicle crashed into the guardrail a few hundreds yards down the road from the state trooper vehicle crashes. But the chase wasn't over yet.

The two men jumped over the guardrail, turning the car chase into a foot race, state police said. A state trooper from Hampton chased down the suspects. Police said they found some of the stolen property in the car. One suspect was taken to the hospital. The other was led away from the crash in handcuffs. According to police, Shorts was driving the stolen vehicle.

A York County-Poquoson deputy was involved in a crash because of the chase before the pursuit led to the interstate. The Sheriff's Office said that deputy will be all right.

The York-County Poquoson Sheriff's Office has charged the pair with three counts of burglary and three counts of grand larceny; all felonies, in connection with the breaking and entering. State police will handle charges related to the pursuit.